Vending machine dispensing module tray

ABSTRACT

An assembly for use in a vending machine in the form of a tray of modular structure for dispensing bagged or packaged products that are loaded into the top of the tray and dispensed by being moved horizontally off of the front edge of the tray and dropped by gravity into an area accessible from the exterior of the dispenser. The tray modules are constructed of transparent material such as clear plastic to enable all of the products to be readily observed through an enlarged window in the front door of the cabinet thereby providing a vending apparatus that enables customer observation of the bagged or packaged products and the highly attractive packages or wrappers normally provided on such products. Each tray module includes a supporting surface on which the articles to be dispensed rest and conveying means including article-engaging fingers or tabs which move the articles off the end of the supporting surface so that they will drop downwardly into an access area. The vending machine includes multiple tray assemblies with the two uppermost tray assemblies being swingable downwardly to an inclined position when they are pulled outwardly at the front of the machine to facilitate loading. Each tray module includes an electrically operated power unit that is automatically engaged when the tray assembly is moved to its operative position and automatically disengaged when the tray assembly is moved to its extended or loading position.

United States Patent 1 Deaton et al.

[11] v 3,831,807 1' Aug. 27, 1974 VENDING MACHINE DISPENSING MODULE TRAY[75] lnventors: James M. Deaton; Clarence M.

Deaton, both of Conway, Ark.

[73] Assignee: Vendmart, Inc., Corpus Christi,

Tex.

[22] Filed: Mar. 28, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 238,816

Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant ExaminerFrancis J. BartuskaAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Clarence A. OBrien; Harvey B. Jacobson [57]ABSTRACT An assembly for use in a vending machine in the form of a trayof modular structure for dispensing bagged or packaged products that areloaded into the top of the tray and dispensed by being movedhorizontally off of the front edge of the tray and dropped by gravityinto an area accessible from the exterior of the dispenser. The traymodules are constructed of transparent material such as clear plastic toenable all of the products to be readily observed through an enlargedwindow in the front door of the cabinet thereby providing a vendingapparatus that enables customer observation of the bagged or packagedproducts and the highly attractive packages or wrappers normallyprovided on such products. Each tray module includes a supportingsurface on which the articles to be dispensed rest and conveying meansincluding article-engaging fingers or tabs which move the articles offthe end of the supporting surface so that they will drop downwardlyintolan access area. The vending machine includes multiple trayassemblies with the two uppermost tray assemblies being swingabledownwardly to an inclined position when they are pulled outwardly at thefront of 'the machine to facilitate loading. Each tray module includesan electrically operated power unit that is automatically engaged whenthe tray assembly is moved to its operative position and automaticallydisengaged when the tray assembly is moved to its extended or loadingposition.

3 Claims, 14 Drawing Figures PAIENIEB mazmu BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION 1. Fieldof the Invention The present invention generallyrelates to vending machines and more particularly a modular trayconstruction for supporting a plurality of different bagged or packagedproducts for selective discharge to an access area with the modular trayconstruction enabling the vending machine to be adapted for dispensingvarious products having different dimensional characteristics as well asproducts having different characteristics of rigidity and stability suchas bagged potato chips, popcorn and other products which in and ofthemselves are not stable but provide a relatively stable product whenbagged or packaged.

2. Description of the Prior Art Vending machines for dispensing productsin containers, packages, bags and the like are generally well known andmay be categorized into the type in which a product is placed in acompartment or chamber that is part of or is supported from a conveyingapparatus which is operated in increments of movement to sequentiallydischarge the products and the type in which bagged products areprovided with a hole or other attachment means on one end thereof withthe hole being positioned over a supporting rod or the attaching meansbeing attached to a supporting mechanism carried by a supporting rod oroverhead conveying device so that the products may be dischargedsequentially from the end of the rod or overhead conveying device.

Known vending machines, while being successful to a degree, have certainfeatures that have prevented their use to the extent that they should.For example, where individual compartments are employed on a conveyingdevice, the number of items that can be supported in a given space isquite limited so that the capacity in the number of products and thedifferent types of products that can be supported in one vending machineis quite limited thus requiring excessive service time in replenishingthe supply of products especially in high volume installations. When thebagged products have a hole punched in the sealed end or a separateattaching tab of the like is provided thereon, it is necessary that theperson placing products in the vending machine physically attach eachproduct to a supporting rod or other supporting mechanism for .theproducts thereby requiring that each product be individually grasped andaligned with a supporting rod, supporting clip, hook or the like therebyconsiderably increasing the time and labor necessary to fill the vendingmachine inasmuch aseach product has to be accurately aligned with andengaged with its supporting mechanism. Also, presently available vendingmachines are quite restricted in their flexibility of use in that thedimensional characteristics of the compartments for receiving the baggedor packaged products are fixed and cannot be altered and the orientationof the overhead supporting rods or other supporting con-' SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vendingmachine having a modular tray construction with each module including asupporting surface on which articles or products to be dispensed aresupported together with a mechanism to move the products or articleslongitudinally along the supporting surface and off the discharge endthereof so that the products or items will be positioned in an accessarea.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine inaccordance with the preceding object in which the tray modules areconstructed of transparent plastic material or the like to enable anobserver to see through the tray modules to enable better observation ofproducts in the vending machine. 1

A further object of the present invention is to provide a vendingmachine employing a plurality of tray assem' blies each including aplurality of modules which are movable horizontally into and out of anopenable front in a cabinet to facilitate loading of products into thevending machine with the upper two tray assemblies also being pivoteddownwardly to a vertically inclined position to further facilitateloading of the two uppermost tray assemblies.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a vending machine inaccordance with the preceding objects in which each tray module isprovided with a drive assembly that is automatically connected to asource of electrical energy and disconnected therefrom in response tomovement of the tray assembly.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a vendingmachine in which each tray module may be separated by a partition intotwo distinct dispensing modules to facilitate dispensing of relativelysmall packaged products and the like thereby increasing the flexibilityof use of the vending machine by enabling certain tray modules to beadapted for dispensing products having different physical dimensions.

Yet another important object of the present invention is to provide avending machine which includes a plurality of tray assemblies orientedin horizontal, vertically spaced position with each tray assemblyincluding a plurality of modules each of which includes a pair ofplastic chain conveyors with certain of the plastic links including tabsor fingers which engage the products being dispensed for moving theproducts along the surface of the tray module. The discharge end of eachtray module is downwardly slanted and the article-engaging fingers ortabs move beyond the discharge end of the tray module to assure that theproduct will be discharged from the tray module. Also, the discharge endof a tray module is spaced from the front transparent window on thevendingmachine a distance sufficient to enable the product to dropdownwardly between the discharge end of the tray module and the front ofthe vending machine with the bagged products actually leaning againstthe surfaceof the transparent window at the front of the vending machineas they are discharged from the tray module to guide the productsdownwardly into an access area in the form of a trough, chute or thelike. 7 i Still another important object of this invention is to provideavending machine which is relatively simple in construction,trouble-free in operation, dependable,

flexible in use and relatively inexpensive to manufacture, operate,service and maintain.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front perspective view ofthe vending ma chine with the front access door in open position and thelowermost tray assembly pulled outwardly to a horizontal loadingposition.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the tray modules of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a discharge end view of a tray assembly illustrating thesupporting track structure therefor.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the upper tray assembly illustratingthe uppermost tray assembly pulled outwardly and tilted downwardly toits loading position.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating the lower trayassemblies with the lowermost tray pulled outwardly to horizontalloading position and also illustrating-the trough into which items aredischarged for access by a customer.

FIG. 6 is a transverse, sectional view of a tray module illustrating thestructural details thereof and the association of the conveyorcomponents with the supporting surface for the products.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one of the plastic chain links in theconveyor assembly illustrating the article engaging finger or tab formedthereon.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of another embodiment of the vendingmachine illustrating a different type of tray module.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevational view of the tray module illustratingthe association of the conveyor structure.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the construction of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a transverse sectional view of the tray module.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the tray module without the conveyorassembled therewith.

FIG. 13 is a perspective'view of one of the plastic chain links with thearticle-engaging finger or tab thereon.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of one of the plastic conveyor chain linkswithout the article-engaging finger or tab thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now specifically tothe drawings, the vending machine is generally designated by referencenumeral 20 and includes a vertically oriented cabinet structure 22supported from a floor or other supporting surface by suitable legs 24and including side walls 26, a top wall 28, a rear wall 30 and a frontwall 32. The bottom may be closed to provide an enclosed cabinet withthe front wall 32 including an enlarged access opening 34 that is closedby a door. 36 hingedly attached to one edge of the opening 34 andprovided with a lock mechanism 38 to releasably retain the door inclosed position. The door 36 is provided with an enlarged transparentpanel 40 to enable observation of the products being dispensed by thevending machine 20. Also, the lower portion of the front wall 34 isprovided with a horizontally elongated opening 42 having a gravityoperated closure door 44 thereon that is pivotally supported from itstop edge by a hinge 46 to enable access to a trough 48 which defines anaccess area 50 inwardly of the front wall 32. The closure door or panel44 may be of transparent material to enable observation of items in thetrough and the lower edge thereof is sufficiently above the bottom ofthe trough to enable the door or closure panel 44 to be swung inwardlyafter a product has been discharged into the trough 48 or in the accessarea 50 to enable a person to obtain the article purchased from thevending machine.

In addition, the front wall 32 is provided with a panel 52 whichincludes instructional indicia, coin receiving slots, coin return slotsand selector buttons having indicia thereon enabling a person to selecta desired product. The details of the control panel 52 form noparticular part of the present invention in that conventional coinreceiving mechanism and selector buttons and related control structuresare employed.

Supported within the cabinet is a plurality of horizontally disposedvertically spaced tray assemblies generally designated by 54 with eachtray assembly being constructed from a plurality of tray modules 56 asillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6. The tray modules may vary in number foreach tray assembly. and the number of tray assemblies may also vary.Practically, it has been found that four tray assemblies as illustratedin FIG. 1 provide a sufficient volume of space to receive an adequatequantity and different types of bagged or packaged products. Also, eachtray assembly includes five tray modules 56 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Each of the tray modules 56 includes an elongated bottom member 58having a centrally disposed depending longitudinal rib 60 thereon. Theforward end of the bottom panel 58 is provided with a downwardly andoutwardly inclined flange or lip 62 extending across the width of thebottom panel 58 and forming a discharge guide for articles or productsbeing discharged from the end of the tray module. Extending upwardlyfrom the bottom member 58 is a pair of longitudinal flanges 64 and 66which are in spaced parallel relation to each other and orientedgenerally centrally of each side half of the bottom member 58 asillustrated in FIG. 6. The flanges 64 and 66 terminate in a horizontalflange 68 and 70 which are parallel with the bottom member 58 but spacedtherefrom with the inner edges of the flanges 68 and 70 being spacedfrom each other and the outer'edges of the flanges 68 and 70 terminatingin an upwardly extending'wall 72 and 74. The walls 72 and 74 aredisposed inwardly of the side edges of the bottom member 58 and theupper edges of the walls 72 and 74 terminate in an outwardly extendingflange 76 and 78 which are generally in parallel relation to the bottommember 58 with the outer edge of the top flanges 76 and 78 generallybeing in alignment with the outer edges of the bottom member 58 so thatwhen adjacent tray modules are brought into registry or engagement witheach other, the edges of the flanges 76 and 78 and the edges of thebottom member 58 will abut as illustrated in FIG. 3. The inner end ofthe tray module is provided with a rear wall member 80 terminating in arear top flange 82 which is' continuous with the top flanges 76 and 78.Also, the bottom member 58 and the rear wall 60 is provided with agroove 84 formed therein in which a partition wall may be positioned inorder to divide the tray module into two separate areas. Without thepartition, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the upper surfaces of thehorizontal flanges 68 and 70 form a sup porting surface for bagged orpackaged articles such as potato chips and the like in which the lowerend of the bags will slidingly engage and be supported by the surfaces68 and 70 and bridge the space therebetween. When a partition is used inthe groove 84, each of the surfaces 68 and 70 forms a support surfacefor packaged or bagged articles thereby enabling smaller bags or smallerpackages to be dispensed sothat the tray module may be used to dispensea single row of relatively large bagged or packaged articles and tworows of smaller bagged or packaged articles. For example, potato chips,pretzels, popcorn and other similar rather bulky packaged products maybe dispensed without using a partition and relatively small bagged orpack aged articles such as salted peanuts, crackers, cookies, candies,mints, gum and the like can be dispensed from two rows in the samemodule when the partition is used.

An endless conveying chain generally designated by numeral 86 is mountedfor movement around each of the flanges 64 and 66 with the conveyorchain being constructed from a plurality of plastic links 88 asillustrated in FIG. 7. Certain of the links 88 are provided withlaterally extending rods 90 that support an elongated verticallyextending rod 92 which forms a finger or tab for engaging the productsto be dispensed. As illustrated, the links 88 with the finger 92 thereonare spaced from each other by a plurality of standard plastic chainlinks which are hingedly interconnected and snapped together due to thecharacteristics of the plastic material so that the chain conveyor 86may move around end sprocket gears 94 each of which has an upwardly anddownwardly extending axle 96 thereon that is received in a bearingplate98 having a notched end 100 therein removably receiving the bearingshaft or stub 96 with the plates 98 being spaced vertically from eachother to stabilize the sprocket gears 94. As illustrated, the conveyorchain 86 is positioned below the flange 68 or flange 70 with the innerrun of the conveyor having its fingers or tabs 92 extending upwardlyalongside of the respective flanges 68 and 70 and the fingers or tabs 92on the outer run of each conveyor 86 are disposed alongside of the walls72 and 74 respectively and within'the confines of the outer edges of theflanges 76 and 78 and the outer edges of the bottom 58 so that therewill be no interference between adjacent tray modules when they arearranged in side by side abutting relation as illustrated in FIG. 3.Each tray module includes a drive motor assembly 102 which is in theform of two synchronized motors that drive the inner sprocket gears atthe same speed and in timed relation. If desired, a single motor may bedriven with the two sprocket gears being driven therefrom in apositiverelationship in the event a partition tray is-not being used. However,with the two individual motors, the conveyors 86 may be individuallyactivated as when a partition is being used and the tray module, ineffect,

becomes two independent dispensing trays. The use of minates above theinclined flange 62 with the flange being in the same orientation so thatarticles discharged therefrom will drop onto the inclined surface 62.Also, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the fingers or tabs 92'move outwardlybeyond the edge of the flanges 68 and 70 respectively thereby assuringthat the article supported on the supporting surface defined by theflanges 68 and 70 will be completely carried and moved longitudinallyoff the end of the surfaces 68 and 70. The rear of the tray moduleincludes male plug-in assemblies 104 (FIG. 2) for electricallyconnecting the drive motor or motors 102 to a female electrical socketassembly 106 (FIG. 4) mounted transversely to the rear wall 30by achannel structure 108 or the like so that as the tray assemblies aremoved inwardly in a horizontal direction, the electrical connection withthe motor drive units 102 will be automatically connected so that theconveyor chains 86 may be appropriately driven when the appropriateelectrical circuit is energized.

The tray assembly 54, constituting five or any other suitable number oftray modules is supported for horizontal sliding movement by a pair ofinwardly facing channel-shaped tracks 110 mounted on the opposite sidewall 26 of the cabinet 22 with the channel-shaped tracks 1 10 receivingcorrespondingly shaped side members 112 secured to the tray assembly 54.This construction is substantially the same as that employed as a drawerslide employed in file cabinets and the like and enables the trayassembly to be moved longitudinally outwardly of the track 110 and thecabinet so that a substantial portion of the tray is accessible forloading articles or products 114 thereon. The drawer slides may be ofthe type employing anti-friction wheels or rollers associated therewithor may be friction slide types with the structure being sufficientlyrigid and having sufficient strength characteristics to effectivelysupport the tray assembly 54 and the articles positioned therein andalso sufficiently strong to withstand other forces which may beencountered such as when a person loading the tray assembly mayaccidentally lean on or otherwise apply forces to the tray assembly.

The two uppermost tray assemblies include an arcuate track 116 thatcommunicates with the side tracks 110 with the side track 110 beingbroken into segments with the shorter segment 118 being pivoted about apivot pin 120 so that it follows the arc of the track 116 when the slidemember 112 has been moved outwardly to a position with the innermost endor end roller thereon in alignment with the arcuate track 116 so thatthe track segment 118 and the associated tray assembly 54 may pivotdownwardly to an upwardly inclined position as illustrated in FIG. 6.The track structure 116 prevents the tray assembly S4 from being pushedinwardly until the track segment 118 is in alignment with the track 110and the structure also prevents the tray assembly from being pivoteddownwardly until the tray assembly has been moved completely to itsoutermost position at which time the inner end of the drawer slide Thetray modules are supported from the slide members 112 in any suitablemanner such as by angle irons extending therebetween with the angleirons being rigidly affixed to the depending ribs 60 in any suitablemanner or secured to the bottom panels 58 in any suitable manner toprovide a rigid tray assembly. One of such cross members for supportingthe tray modules is designated at 122 in FIG. 1. Thus, each trayassembly is a rigid unit and 6565a removedfrbr ri the cabinet in thesame manner that a drawer is removed from a file cabinet bydisconnecting the drawer slide assemblies. This enables the trayassemblies to be removed for replacement if desired or enables repair ofany components that may be necessary and facilitates maintenance andrepair of the operating structure of the invention and also providesaccess to the interior of the cabinet.

In this construction, the downwardly inclined sur faces 62 may beprovided with an indicia bearing area 124 on which the price of theproduct in that particular tray module may be indicated or in the eventthe tray module is divided into two separate compartments by apartition, then two separate indicia bearing areas may be provided. Theindicia may be provided on a tab or panel that is glued onto orotherwise secured to the flange 62. Also, the various panels and flangesare constructed of transparent plastic material which provides asee-through feature which enables an observer to see a substantialquantity of the products 114 supported in the tray assemblies which notonly provides an attractive display of the products but also enablesobservation of the quantity of the various products left in the machine.

ln constructing the tray modules, the bottom panel 56 may be in the formof two panels split longitudinally along the rib 60 and secured togethereither by separate fastener elements or by a bonding material. Whenseparate fastener elements are employed, the two components of the traymodule may be replaced. Also, the rib 60 may be omitted in certain areasto receive the transversely extending support members with the supportmembers and tray modules being secured together in any suitable mannerwith suitable fasteners. This arrangement enables flexibility inconstruction of the various tray assemblies in that in some instances,larger tray modules may be provided in certain of the tray assembliesand smaller tray modules provided in the other tray assemblies thusenabling more flexibility in the physical dimensional characteristics ofthe products dispensed by the vending machine.

In use, the bagged or packaged products are loaded into the trayassembly from the top in the spaces be tween the wiper fingers or tabs92. The product 114 is moved forward by the chains 86 rotating aroundthe sprockets which are powered by the synchronized counter-rotatingdrives 102. The product is then dispensed when reaching the forward endand slides down the positioning lip 62 into the delivery area of themachine. The front door 36 prevents tilting of articles as they aredispensed thus assuring that they will be discharged into the accessarea.

Also, a T-shaped insert 69 may be supported in the groove 61 at theupper surface of the rib 60 to provide a continuity of the supportingsurfaces 68 and 70 and retain the wiping tabs or fingers 92 in theirvertical up right position (see FIG. 6). Of course, this T-shaped member69 would not be used if a partition is inserted in the groove 61 and thegroove 84. The rear wall component 80 assures that the complete spacecan be loaded inasmuch as it defines the rear surface of the rearmostspace with the wiping tabs or fingers 92 stopping with a fingerpositioned at the reannost point of travel and a finger positioned atthe forwardmost point of travel outwardly beyond the ends of thesurfaces 68 and 70.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 8-14, another embodiment of traymodule is disclosed and is designated by numeral with the tray modulebeing assembled with similar modules into a tray assembly in generallythe same manner as in the structure disclosed in FIGS. 1-7 with the trayassembly then being supported in the cabinet 142 on horizontal tracks144 in the form of drawer slides with the uppermost tray assembliesbeing swingable downwardly to an inclined position when they are pulledoutwardly of the cabinet 142 when the front door 146 is opened. Themodule 140 is driven by synchronized drive motors 148 which receivetheir power in the same manner as in FIGS. l7.

In this embodiment of the tray module 140, a bottom member 150 isprovided with upstanding wall panels 152 and 154 which are substantiallyparallel with each other. Centrally of the bottom panel 150, there is ade pending rib 156 with a vertical groove 158 being provided in theupper surface of the bottom panel 150 to receive a longitudinal verticalpartition wall (not illustrated). The rear of the tray module includes arear wall 160 having a vertical slot 162 formed therein which extends upthrough a horizontal top flange 164 to receive the partition. The frontedge of the bottom 150 is provided with a downwardly angulated lip 166which forms a positioning guide for articles being dispensed from themodule. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the front edge of the walls 152 and154 incline inwardly slightly as at 168 to further eliminate anypossible interference with the movement of the articles or products asthey are discharged to the access area.

Each side wall 152 and 154 is provided with a pair of integral flanges170 and 172 which project laterally outwardly from the respective sidewalls and which are in vertically spaced parallel relation. The flangesv170 and 172 are rigidly interconnected by a vertical connecting flange174 located centrally between the side edges of the horizontal flanges170 and l72-so that each wall 152 will be continuous and rigid but theflanges 170 and 172 form an inwardly opening and an outwardly openinglongitudinal slot-like space for receiving the inner and outer runs of aplastic conveying chain generally designated by numeral 176. The plasticconveying chain 176 is constructed from a plurality of plastic chainlinks 178 and a plurality of modified plastic chain links 180 whichinclude a vertically elongated rod 182 rigid therewith but offsettherefrom by connecting portions 184. The upper and lower ends of therod 182 are provided with laterally extending fingers or wiper tabs 186which project horizontally from the top and bottom ends of the rod 182.The plastic conveyor chain 176 is entrained over sprocket gears 188 and190 which may be constructed of plastic material with the sprocket gears190 being driven through shaft assemblies 192 from the motors 148. Whenthe conveying chains 176 are assembled around the sprocket gears 188 and190, the links 178 and 180 are received between the flanges 170 and 172.The offset connecting portions 184 project beyond the flanges so thatthe rod 182 will move longitudinally outwardly ofthe outer edges of theflanges 170 and 172 and longitudinally along the inner surfaces of therespective walls 150 and 154. The inner end of the module is providedwith openings 194 through which the rod 182 and wiper fingers or tabs186 move from exteriorly of the tray module to the interior thereof. Asillustrated in FIG. 1.0, the wiper fingers 186 or tabs at the oppositesides of the tray module are in alignment thus providing spaces forreceiving bagged or packaged products to be dispensed 196 such as baggedpotato chips, pretzels and the like.

In both forms of the tray module, the basic structure is of clearplastic molded material and bagged or packaged products may beeffectively dispensed by the carrier links, fingers or wiper tabs whichmove forward with the chains that are powered by synchronized rotatingdrives.

This unit is constructed to enable staggered orientation of the traymodules vertically in relation to each other inasmuch as the path ofmovement of the carrier links externally of the tray requires that thetrays be spaced laterally from each other. However, by orienting theexternal path of movement of the carrier links and adjacent trays invertical alignment with each other, the tray modules can be verticallystaggered in such a manner that while the carrier links will notinterfere with each other, the paths of movement of these componentswill overlap vertically thereby enabling less lateral dimensions to beused by nesting the paths of movement of the vertical rod and laterallyextending fingers or tabs in adjacent tray'modules. The rear wall of thetray module may be so constructed that it will form a rear surface forthe rearmost product to be inserted and this may be accomplished by aspacer on the rear wall or construction of the rear wall so that thecenter at least will be spaced in a manner so that it will not beengaged by the fingers but will serve as a positioning device for therearmost product when the tray assemblies are being loaded. Also, inthis form of the invention, the tray modules may be independentlysupported by a drawer slide structure associated with a channel-shapedrecess 153 formed on the bottom exterior of each of the walls. The rearend of each drawer slide could be supported on the rear wall of thecabinet and the front end thereof supported by vertical support membersat the front of the cabinet thus enabling each tray module to beindividually moved outwardly for loading thus further increasing theflexibility of function of the vending machine to enable it toeffectively vend various products.

, What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a vending machine for dispensing articles, a tray module forsupporting a plurality of articles to be dispensed, said tray modulecomprising a supporting surface on which a plurality of aligned articlesare positioned, conveying means mounted on said tray module,

,including vertically elongated fingers sprocket gear means at each endof the tray module,

said finger means including a carrier link in said chain with aprojecting finger disposed between adjacent articles without supportingthe articles thereby enabling sliding engagement of the articles withthe supporting surface, the forward edge of the tray module beingprovided with a downwardly inclined lip for guiding said plurality ofarticles when they are dispensed, said tray module including anelectrical plug-in assembly connectible to a cooperating electricalassembly in the vending machine to operate the conveying means when saidassemblies are in electrical contact, said tray module includingupwardly extending wall structures at the outer edges of the supportingsurface, and said conveying means including a second chain identical tothe first-mentioned chain, and having plural finger means cooperatingwith the first-mentioned finger means to form pockets for receivingarticles therein, said supporting surface being generally horizontallyoriented and divided into two horizontal components, said chains beingdisposed below the supporting surface and extending through and abovesaid supporting surface, said upwardly extending wall structures furtherhaving slots therein and said tray module further having a longitudinalgroove centrally thereof so that either (A) a partition may be receivedin said groove and slot combination to divide the supporting surfaceinto two separate supporting surfaces, or (B) a filler strip may beinserted in said groove and slot combination to form a continuation ofsaid supporting surfaces and said strip being disposed between thefingers on the two chains for retaining the fingers in uprightpositions.

2. The machine of claim 1 wherein each module is constructed oftransparent plastic material with the machine including a plurality ofvertically disposed tray assemblies thereby enabling the products in thevarious tray assemblies to be observed. I

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein the uppermost tray assemblies aresupported by track means including an outward pivot means to enable theuppermost tray assemblies to pivot downwardly to an upwardly inclinedposition to facilitate loading thereof.

1. IN a vending machine for dispensing articles, a tray module forsupporting a plurality of articles to be dispensed, said tray modulecomprising a supporting surface on which a plurality of aligned articlesare positioned, conveying means mounted on said tray module, andarticle-engaging means on said conveying means for moving anddischarging said articles from one end thereof, said conveying meansincluding an endless flexible driven member mounted on said tray module,said article-engaging means including a plurality of projecting fingermeans mounted on said flexible member in longitudinally spaced relationtherealong, said finger means projecting between adjacent articles formoving the articles longitudinally of the tray module when the endlessflexible member is driven, said flexible member being in the form of aplastic link chain entrained over sprocket gear means at each end of thetray module, said finger means including a carrier link in said chainwith a projecting finger disposed between adjacent articles withoutsupporting the articles thereby enabling sliding engagement of thearticles with the supporting surface, the forward edge of the traymodule being provided with a downwardly inclined lip for guiding saidplurality of articles when they are dispensed, said tray moduleincluding an electrical plug-in assembly connectible to a cooperatingelectrical assembly in the vending machine to operate the conveyingmeans when said assemblies are in electrical contact, said tray moduleincluding upwardly extending wall structures at the outer edges of thesupporting surface, and said conveying means including a second chainidentical to the first-mentioned chain, and having plural finger meanscooperating with the first-mentioned finger means to form pockets forreceiving articles therein, said supporting surface being generallyhorizontally oriented and divided into two horizontal components, saidchains being disposed below the supporting surface and includingvertically elongated fingers extending through and above said supportingsurface, said upwardly extending wall structures further having slotstherein and said tray module further having a longitudinal groovecentrally thereof so that either (A) a partition may be received in saidgroove and slot combination to divide the supporting surface into twoseparate supporting surfaces, or (B) a filler strip may be inserted insaid groove and slot combination to form a continuation of saidsupporting surfaces and said strip being disposed between the fingers onthe two chains for retaining the fingers in upright positions.
 2. Themachine of claim 1 wherein each module is constructed of transparentplastic material with the machine including a plurality of verticallydisposed tray assemblies thereby enabling the products in the varioustray assemblies to be observed.
 3. The machine of claim 2 wherein theuppermost tray assemblies are supported by track means including anoutward pivot means to enable the uppermost tray assemblies to pivotdownwardly to an upwardly inclined position to facilitate loadingthereof.